Taking Hogwarts
by colioness
Summary: Ophelia Rosencourt is just your average looking muggle born witch. Except for the part where she's friends with the world-renowned Potter family. It's this extraordinary friendship that leads to her involvement in a battle between the two biggest drama queens in school: James Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. No ones getting out of this one embarrassment-free.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Taking Back Hogwarts

Summary: Ophelia Rosencourt is just your average looking muggle born witch. Except for the part where she's friends with the world-renowned Potter family. It's this extraordinary friendship that leads to her involvement in a battle between the two biggest drama queens in school: James Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. No ones getting out of this one embarrassment-free.

Rating: T

Chapter One

"Do witches have souls, Ophelia?"

I looked up at my little sister Melissa and smiled softly. She leaned over the arm of my chair with her chin nestled in her hands, her strawberry blonde hair falling over her eye. I reached out and touched her nose. "Of course we do, Mel. It's only that our souls are a little different I think. Special."

"Oh," she said as she scrunched her nose in thought. "Will you put me to bed? And tell me a story? One about witches."

"Of course I will."

She held her arms up to me and I lifted her. At the age of six, she'd had more profound thoughts and philosophies than any other child I'd ever met. If she wasn't going to be a witch, I swear she would be an old soul. Mum was in the kitchen putting the leftovers away. She waved a little as I carried Mel into our room and set her down on the bottom bunk.

"Alright," I murmured as I pulled the blankets up to her chin. "What sort of witch story do you want me to tell you?"

"I want a story with a princess. A witch princess. Who stops an evil knight from killing her friend the dragon."

The girl never ceased to amaze me. I couldn't help but take her hand in mine and begin with, "Once upon a time..."

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I kept the door open just a crack so I did't have to open it up and make noise when I decided to go to bed. Mum was waiting for me on the couch. She had her eyes closed and her hands folded neatly in her lap. Lately, she'd been taking extra shifts at the diner to make sure that I would have enough to buy new robes for school that year. Sometimes it was hard to watch her work so hard while I rode off to go to school and left her alone. It made me wonder if I was doing the right thing.

"Mum, why don't you go to bed?" I whispered, placing my hand on hers.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at me. "Ophelia have I ever told you that you're so beautiful?"

"Alright mum, now you're just delusional," I laughed as I helped her up. "Come on. Mrs. Potter really wants to see you in the morning."

"Oh, right. You leave tomorrow don't you?"

I nodded my head sheepishly. I was leaving again to spend a week with my wizard friends before I went back to my wizard school.

"Just in case, darling, your money is in the cookie jar, taped just under the top. Please don't forget it this time. I don't want the Potter's having to buy anymore new things for you."

I bit my lip, remembering how embarrassed I was last year when I had forgotten. I had cried for at least thirty minutes before Rose had managed to calm me down. They assured me that everything would be alright and that they would be happy to buy my things. The worst part was that when I went home for Christmas, my mother hadn't spent a penny of it. Not even a hot shower could wash the shame off of me then.

"I'm going to miss you, you know. I always do."

She patted my shoulder softly. "Sweetie we're going to miss you too."

"You aren't...mad at me...are you? For leaving like this so often?"

Surprise flashed across her face and she grabbed me, forcing me into a hug. "Why would you ever think that?"

"I...I don't know. It's just that I'm always gone, what with school. And I just leave you here with Melissa without a thought. I know you need help. I know we need someone else to watch out for her and to make money. Am I doing the right thing?"

"Of course you are," she sighed. "You need to learn. I know I can't possibly comprehend your abilities, but they're a gift. And you need to know how to wield it. Someday, when you're a big shot in the wizarding world, you can pay me back by buying me a big house with the gold you get. I know you'll be great at it. Whatever it is you choose to do."

I smiled. "Can I sleep with you tonight? For old times sake?"

She took my hand and nodded happily. "This time you hopefully won't have any nightmares."

* * *

_A/N: Hey there everyone! This is my debut here on FanFiction and I really hope you all like it! I'm not exactly sure where this is going, but we'll see. _

_~ Rett_


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Taking Back Hogwarts

Summary: Ophelia Rosencourt is just your average looking muggle born witch. Except for the part where she's friends with the world-renowned Potter family. It's this extraordinary friendship that leads to her involvement in a battle between the two biggest drama queens in school: James Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. No ones getting out of this one embarrassment-free.

Rating: T

Chapter Two

When the doorbell rang I was the first to receive our guests.

James grinned at me before he charged into the house to chase after Mel, who giggled and flounced around. She loved it when he came. Mrs. Potter gave me a hug and stepped inside. "I brought a few things for Melissa and your mother."

"That's really nice of you," I said taking the parcels and setting them on the counter. "Mum will be out in just a minute. She can't stay too long because she has to get Melissa to daycare, but she'd like to sit and have a cup of tea with you."

Mrs. Potter's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together. "It'll be so nice to meet her! Why don't I just go and make the tea now so she doesn't have to rush. Yes. I think I'll go ahead and do that. Melissa, why don't you show me how all of these silly contraptions work."

Melissa nodded her head and jumped down from the couch where she had previously been smiting the evil Dragon Lord James.

"I'll get you next time Warrior Princes!" he called after her. She laughed and sprinted into the kitchen to show Mrs. Potter how to make tea. I smiled at James and flopped onto the couch next to him. "It's been quite a while, huh Ophie?"

"If only it had been longer," I sighed jokingly.

"Hey I'm not so bad. You know you love me," he said nudging my side.

"Well that's debatable."

I felt him pinch my leg. "Don't be such a sour puss." He stretched his arms back, letting out a big yawn. "Everyone is coming up to see you, you know? Even Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. They're really excited."

"Hmm," I muttered pulling my knees up to my chest. I leaned against his side and closed my eyes. "When are they coming?"

"Not until Thursday. I managed to delay them a little so the house wouldn't be too crowded when you get there," he said putting an arm around my shoulders.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"You know you don't have to be uncomfortable around them? They love you, Ophie, just like we do."

He withdrew his arm as I sat up and hugged myself. "I know they love me, James. You say that every time."

"That's because it never changes," he said furrowing his brows. "I just don't understand why you're so scared of them."

A lump was beginning to form in my throat and I was on the verge of tears. I let my hair hang in front of my face to hide it from him. "Can we just...not talk about this now?"

"Yeah," he muttered gruffly.

We sat in silence for a long time. He had his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he watched me from the corner of his eye. I hated it when he stared at me like that. It was almost like he was accusing me of something and waiting for an apology. I knew deep down that it wasn't what he meant but I just couldn't shake that feeling and I couldn't tell him because I knew it would really hurt his feelings.

"I'm going to get ready."

I stood and hurried to my room to change. _He's mad at me,_ I thought to myself as I flung open my dresser. _He's so mad at me. _I distracted myself with trying to find a matching pair of socks, but gave up after a few minutes, realizing there was no point. That sinking feeling in my stomach was getting stronger. _Oh my god, why did I have to say it like that_, I thought nervously. _He probably thinks I'm such a prick._ I shook my head and yanked off my t-shirt in favor of one of my Ravenclaw sweaters and an old pair of leggings that had a tear in the knee. My thick, unmatched socks warmed my toes but I could feel them pressing against the front of my ratty brown boots. I could feel that same pressure in my throat as I grabbed my trunk and headed back out into the living room.

Mum was sitting the table with Mel in her lap, listening to Mrs. Potter talk about how she'd love to have everyone over during Christmas. My mother gave a vague reply and changed the subject to work. I knew she was scared and so did Mrs. Potter.

"Hey, let me take that."

I glanced up at James who smiled down at me. "Okay."

"When we get home, I have a surprise for you," he said taking my trunk and wiggling his eyebrows. "You'll either faint or pronounce your undying love for me."

"It isn't something big is it?" I asked following him out the door sighing with relief internally.

He nodded his head and threw out his arm. "Oh it's _huge_."

"James," I groaned, feeling the nervousness washing away. He wasn't angry. "I told you not to go around spending your galleons on me! I'm not a charity case!"

"Of course you're not, you're my best friend so hike up your big girl pants and get used to it," he said matter-of-factly.

I rolled my eyes a little and helped him carry the trunk down the steep set of stairs. We made it out into the street where a cab was parked, waiting for us. It was one of those fancy wizard cabs that was charmed to be bigger on the inside. Even now I sometimes questioned whether the life I led was real or just a dream.

We got in and waited for Mrs. Potter to come down. The whole time James talked about his favorite Quidditch team and the game his father took him to over the summer. He complained about all of his homework and how much his mum was pushing him to do it. Apparently he was lucky that I was coming over because if it wasn't for me he would still be in a lot of trouble for the grades he had gotten last year. Not to mention the amount of detentions his parents _hadn't _heard about until after the Gryffindor Prefect found all the stolen letters the school had attempted to send home. He laughed about it and patted me on the shoulder.

"It was a good year," he sighed.

Just then Mrs. Potter climbed in with a smile. "Your mother really is a lovely person Ophelia. I've invited her up for Christmas this year. She seemed a little nervous but I think maybe with a little push and pull from the both of us we can get her to come along and enjoy herself, if only for a few days."

"That'd be nice. Relaxing isn't exactly something she's very good at."

"I'm sure Mel would love to see a little magic, too."

"Right. If they do come James we'll need to have a little chat about how much magic we'll be using," she said eyeing him.

He raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay. We'll handle that when the time comes."

It was so refreshing to be with them. I couldn't wait to be at their house with everyone else. I was finally going home.

* * *

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* * *

"Ophelia!"

I was crushed in the arms of Lily who rocked back and forth as she hugged me tightly to her. She laughed a little when she pulled away and saw the astonished look on my face. I couldn't help but grin at her as well.

"You might have busted my lung but I'm still glad to see you," I said patting her on her head.

"I'm not a dog," she said throwing my hand off. But she was smiling anyway. "Oh man, this is great! You know, I'm a teenager just like you!"

"Right. Didn't you just turn thirteen recently?"

She nodded her head and swung her arms out, giggling and rocking back and forth on her heels. "I'm all grown up."

"Yes you are."

Al came clambering down the stairs. When he saw me he cracked a smile and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Hey Ophelia."

"Albus." I looked at him from under my brow, regarding him with contempt. He returned my look with a gleam in his eyes. I smiled and broke character, opening my arms for a hug. He bounded down the steps and slung an arm around me. "It's very good to see you."

"You too."

"Alright, alright, break up the love fest," James grumbled pulling Al away. He bent down and hooked his arm under my knees, yanking me up so he had me in his arms. "I've got a surprise for this one."

"What are you going to do marry her?" Al laughed. "When he's done playing knight come find me. I've got a few books I think you might like."

James sneered at him and then bounded up the stairs. I clung onto his collar and laughed as he sprinted towards his room. _What an idiot_, was all I could think. He rounded the corner and stopped, breathing hard and looking down at me with a very suspicious smile. "James...James what are you going to—?"

Without letting me finish he shot forward towards his open door at full force and then jumped towards the bed, dragging me along the whole way. We landed with an "oof!" and he bounced upwards. Blankets fell over my face as the dust settled and the adrenaline died down.

"You idiot!" I laughed, turning over. He was upside down, hanging off the bed.

"Well I try," he grunted as he rolled off and into a sitting position. He was grinning from ear to ear as he got up and went to his closet. "Okay now close your eyes. Come on, Ophie, just close them."

I closed them with a huff. "James Sirius Potter you better tell me what is going on right now."

"Okay mum," he laughed. "Do you remember how you forbade me from getting you anything besides a handwritten letter and some cakes from Molly for your birthday?"

"Of course."

"Well I'm a horrible person and have decided to not listen to you. So I've been saving all that birthday money to get you something really nice and I've decided to give it to you now because I want to see how angry you're going to get."

"James," I groaned. "Please don't." I could already feel tears welling up in my eyes.

"Too late," he said. I could hear the sound of him pulling something out from that mess he called a closet and heard him come closer. "Alright, Ophie. Happy birthday."

* * *

_A/N: Well guys, it only took me a few months to update this, but here you go. I'm hoping that won't happen again as I'd very much like to see this through._

_Unfortunately for me, this chapter was very tedious and boring for me to write. I'm hoping that it won't show through in my writing but if there is anything that you see that I can improve on please let me now with a thoughtful review. Again I'm really sorry for the absence._

_~ Rett_


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Taking Back Hogwarts

Summary: Ophelia Rosencourt is just your average looking muggle born witch. Except for the part where she's friends with the world-renowned Potter family. It's this extraordinary friendship that leads to her involvement in a battle between the two biggest drama queens in school: James Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. No ones getting out of this one embarrassment-free.

Rating: T

Chapter Three

"I hate you." He smiled as I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. I clutched onto the shaft of the broom and sniffled. "Why did you do this James? I didn't— I didn't—"

My composure fell apart and I pulled the broomstick into my chest and started to cry. No one had ever gotten me something like this. Something so special. It made me so angry that he had bought this for me. I mean it was something that I had always wanted—flying was probably my favorite thing about being a wizard—but I had promised that_ I_ would do this for myself. I had been saving all the galleons, sickles and knuts I could. For years I had been saving my muggle money and converting it at the beginning of the school year to buy some of the things that I wanted.

"Whoa there! No crying. I didn't anticipate storms tonight," James said waving his arms and taking a seat next to me.

"James, you prick," I laughed wiping my eyes and looking up at him. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

He shrugged, giving me a cocky smile. "I'm assuming I've made your life ten times better."

"I've been saving up money for so long just to get myself a broom. And then...and then you go and you get me something that would have been so much better than whatever I could ever dreamed to afford. I don't even know what to say to you right now."

"How about 'thank you and you are the most handsome guy in the room'?"

I smiled a little and set the broom to the side. "Thank you, James. You really didn't have to do this," I said hugging his arm. "And you're the most handsome guy in the room."

He laughed and ruffled my hair. "Wow. You know I didn't think you were going to start crying, Ophie. I guess I picked the right gift then, huh? You know, now that you've got yourself a broom, maybe you'll try out for the Quidditch team?"

"I don't know why you keep pushing that," I said as I ran my fingers over the bristles of the broom. "I woldn't even be on your team. I would literally be playing against you. Besides the captain is—"

"That doesn't mean that I'm going to stop you," he interrupted. "You're good. And you certainly have a lot of potential. With some work you'd be so much better than the Seeker they already have on the team."

"I'm not doing it James. I don't want all that pressure on me. Especially not in front of all those people."

He sighed. "Well, I think it'd be good for you. You know, to get out of your shell."

"Yeah. My shell," I muttered rolling my eyes a little. I grabbed the broom and quickly changed the subject. "So anyway, tell me what model this is. Its a new model isn't it? I've never seen anything like this before."

"Oh it's definitely new. Its actually not been released to the public yet. My dad hooked us up with them so I asked him to see if we could get one for you. He pulled a few strings and here you go. The newest thing to hit the wizarding world. The Skywalker 1000."

I'm pretty sure that my heart stopped beating for several seconds as I looked down at the sleek, dark shaft. It was decorated with silver paint, giving the illusion of blowing wind. Near the handle there was a number etched into it. A registration number. "James..."

"Come on, let's go," he said jumping up and hurrying out the door. "I can smell dinner!"

* * *

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Mr. Potter wasn't there that night. Apparently he wouldn't be arriving until the rest of the family came around. Lily and Al told me that the Ministry had been hounding him about a particular case that hadn't yet made it to the public eye. But that's all that he had told the kids. Mrs. Potter had refrained from speaking about anything. I figured she knew something more.

"This is really good Mrs. Potter," I said after I had cleared my bowl of stew.

"Well aren't you sweet Ophelia," she said with a smile. "It's actually Harry's recipe. But I figured I'd give it a shot. I've always wanted to try and make it the way he does. He doesn't really use magic when he cooks. It always seemed silly to me, but now that I think about it there's something different about the food."

I sipped at my pumpkin juice and shrugged. "Sometimes its better to just do things with your hands."

"You sound so much like dad," James groaned.

"Oh shut up, Jimmy," Al said with a roll of his eyes. "At least she's not an idiot like you."

James glared at his brother. "Why don't you say that again to me after dinner?"

"Both of you quiet," Mrs. Potter said, throwing a biscuit at James. "We're at the dinner table."

"And you just threw a biscuit at me!" James cried picking it up and waving it around in the air.

Lily and I started laughing quietly in the corner while the three of them continued to bicker like children. I always loved coming here. Everything was so fun and free. It was very refreshing. But I couldn't help but wonder what was happening at home.

When dinner was finished I decided to retire early despite protest from James and Al who had a few things planned that they wanted to do before everyone went to bed. But my thoughts were heavy on my shoulders and I really needed to be by myself for a while. So I denied their offers and slipped upstairs to the guest bedroom I stayed in.

At night it was the hardest. After all of the fun I had that day I got to sit in my room lying awake in bed, wondering if I should be at home, helping to make dinner or reading a bedtime story to Mel. Was going away all the time like this the right decision? My mother worked so much it was affecting her health and I had left her to fend for herself with Mel while I went away to this fantasy world that wasn't even real to me until my eleventh birthday. Even then it was just a joke.

I rolled over and sighed. I always did that to myself. No matter where I was there was always that sinking feeling at the back of my mind that I was a horrible person. I made a few galleons as a private tutor for some of the richer kids and sent that home for mother. She would take Mel into Gringotts to get it converted and then they'd stop and get some wizard candy. But other than that there was nothing that I could do to help them while I was gone, besides work as hard as I possibly could so that I could acquire a decent job after school.

Two more years, I thought to myself as I snuggled into the bed. Two more years and I can make everything better.

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When I woke up that morning I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and hurried downstairs. No one but Al was awake yet.

"I was hoping you'd come down," he said as he closed his book. "That means you're making pancakes. Can I help you?"

"Of course you can," I said moving into the kitchen.

He got up and followed after me, setting his book on the counter so he could wash his hands. "So, how are your mom and Mel?"

"Doing quite well," I shrugged as I began to get out ingredients. "Mel is exceptionally intelligent. She doesn't even have to try anymore. She's really amazing. I swear to god she's an old soul. There are things that she says that couldn't possibly come from the mouth of a four-year-old."

"Well she hangs around you too much."

I shake my head a little. "No. I'm not smart like her. Sure I get good marks in school and all but I study hard for that. She doesn't even have to work. It almost makes me jealous."

"I don't know. I think working for it is even better," he said pulling out bowls and pans. "You spend so much time working because you have a goal set. I'm not saying what Mel has isn't an amazing gift. I'm just saying that you should be proud of the things that you've done because you are an exceptionally smart person and you get the marks you get because you've earned them."

"Right," I said as I measured a cup of flour. "Anyway, they're doing good. We hit a rough patch this summer but I started to take extra shifts at the bookstore to get some extra money and we managed to work our way out of it."

Al shook his head at me and handed me a few eggs. "Ophelia you really work way too hard. Do you ever take a break?"

"Of course I do! What do you think I'm doing now?"

"Making pancakes. That's not really a break."

"Well in a week we'll be back and school."

He laughed. "You're crazy!" He takes the bowl from me to stir the batter. "Do you honestly think that school is a break?"

"For me it is," I shrug while I prepare the skillet. "Studying magic? For a muggleborn like me? That's like a dream come true. Muggles write fairy tales about things like that. Little girls and boys dream of adventures like this."

Al sighed and continued to help me make the pancakes. After a while Lily and Mrs. Potter came down the stairs to join us. Lily helped me flip the pancakes and Mrs. Potter set the table. James didn't come down until after all the pancakes were ready and I'd begun the bacon.

"Mmm, what's that smell?" he yawned.

"Bacon," Lily said throwing a napkin at him. "And where were you?"

"I was at Azkaban...where do you think I was you idiot? In bed!"

"Hey now, don't talk to your sister like that," Mrs. Potter scolded.

James rolled his eyes and pulled out a chair. "Alright! I'm ready for pancakes!" He patted his stomach and waited.

Lily smacked him on the back of his head. "Get up and get them yourself!"

"Ow! Hey don't smack me," he cried rubbing his head. "Aren't you going to say anything about that?"

Mrs. Potter smiled. "Well she's right."

James gaped at her while we all laughed at him. He crossed his arms and got up to get himself some breakfast.

* * *

_A/N: Hey guys. So I'm starting to really flesh this story out in my head. And don't worry...everyone will be off to Hogwarts soon. Please don't hesitate to leave some feedback for the story in a review! I'd really appreciate it._

_~ Rett_


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Taking Back Hogwarts

Summary: Ophelia Rosencourt is just your average looking muggle born witch. Except for the part where she's friends with the world-renowned Potter family. It's this extraordinary friendship that leads to her involvement in a battle between the two biggest drama queens in school: James Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. No ones getting out of this one embarrassment-free.

Rating: T

Chapter Four

On Thursday night the doors open and everyone from the family came to visit. Mrs. Weasley and the cousins were the first to arrive. Shortly after Teddy showed up. But it wasn't until late that night after the excitement had settled down that Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter came around, looking exhausted.

"Dad!" Lily squealed when they came trooping into the living room. He gave her a wary smile and accepted her hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Lily."

Mr. Weasley headed straight for the kitchen. "Hello everyone! I'm starving."

He earned a low murmur of snorts and giggles as everyone began to hammer Mr. Potter with questions. But they all went silent when he shot them a look and turned to his oldest son. "James, I'd very much like to speak with you and Ophelia in the kitchen." James glanced at me and shrugged a little as the both of us got up and headed into the kitchen with him where Mr. Weasley was shoveling down a sandwich. "Ron."

"Wha?"

"We need to have a serious talk with these two."

"Right," he said swallowing and setting down his meal and giving each of us a big grin. Mr. Potter glared at him and he waved his hands. "Alright."

James' brow furrowed. "What's this about?"

"You two are the oldest aside from Teddy who already knows," Mr. Potter said crossing his arms and leaning up against the counter. "And I don't want you to tell anyone else or make a big deal out of it, alright?"

"Dad, what is it?" James asked getting impatient.

"Calm down, James," Ron said smiling.

Mr. Potter leaned forward and eyed the both of us. "Ron and I have been working with the other aurors on a very important case. There have been a string of murders happening all throughout London and Ireland, all of which target Muggleborns."

"What?!" James cried, turning to look at me.

I crossed my arms. "Calm down James and let him finish."

"You don't need to make a big deal about this, alright? I just need the two of you to know before I send you all off to Hogwarts again. I want you to be on the lookout for your brother and sister and everyone else. And I don't want anymore of your shenanigans. Not this year, alright?"

James was furious. He was clenching and unclenching his fists and gnashing his teeth. "So what am I supposed to do? I mean...is there a reason you're telling me this? Because if this was just a normal case you wouldn't have said this much."

"I don't know," Mr. Potter said. "None of this will affect you at all. Hogwarts is the safest place to be when something like this happens. But I just needed this to be known, especially by you Ophelia. This one...I just don't like it. So be on your guard."

James glanced at me as I sighed and smiled a little at Mr. Potter. "Well, thanks I suppose. Just don't tell my mother okay? I really don't want her to worry about it."

"Don't you go worrying about your mother either Ophelia," he said putting a hand on my shoulder. "I've got a few aurors checking in on her once a day."

"Thanks," I said smiling a little bit.

"Now, I'd like to eat and change so why don't you all go back out and Ron and I will be down in a minute? And let's not go telling anyone this, alright?"

Both James and I nodded our heads before heading back out into the living room where everyone waited in silence.

"What was all that about?" Lily asked apprehensively.

Mrs. Potter glanced at me and gave a quick shake of her head. I smiled at Lily and the others and said, "Oh nothing. Mr. Potter just wanted to make sure that I would keep the village idiot over here out of trouble this year." I elbowed James in the ribs.

He grunted and glared down at me. "Yeah. That's it."

The rest of the night went by slowly. Rose questioned me about all that I'd done over the summer. She bombarded me from all sides, expecting some great adventures and tales. Unfortunately for her I hadn't done anything as glamorous as she had hoped. Teddy asked how my secret boyfriend was and teased me about it all night. Hermione started listing off all the good books she thought I'd enjoy. Hugo wanted to go outside and fly around on my new broom. I tried to be social, I really did. But in the end it was too much and I remained rather quiet that evening, speaking a little with Al before heading off to bed, claiming that I had a headache.

As I hurried up the stairs I noticed that James was following me up. I sighed. "James I don't need you to babysit me."

"I know," he said gruffly. "I just wanted to say goodnight."

"You already did."

"Well maybe I wanted to say it again."

I rolled my eyes at him. "James, I'm fine. Nothing is going to happen to me."

He crossed his arms. "You don't know that." I gave him a look and he let out a deep breath. "Look, I just want to make sure you're not scared or anything, alright? I mean, you're a muggle born so you'd be a target. I know sometimes you get nightmares and all, so I just...I'm just looking out for you."

"James," I groaned. "I'm in the safest house in the world. Nothing will happen to me tonight. Besides, your dad said not to worry about it. I trust his judgement. He didn't seem too worried about it anyway, he just wanted us to know so you wouldn't go wandering off into the Forbidden Forest again. Now quit thinking about it. He deals with stuff like this all the time."

"Whatever," he muttered turning around.

"Oh don't be so butthurt, James."

He glanced back at me. "I'm sorry, but I just don't exactly see how this isn't a big deal."

"Calm down, would you?" I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. "You're blowing this way out of proportion. Your father is the head of the auror department. His word should make you content enough to let me go to bed on my own. I'm not a damsel in distress, James and I just so happen to exceed you in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I think I can handle myself whether I'm muggle born or not."

"You can't blame me for wanting to protect you. Bad enough things have happened to this family before."

"To your father, James," I corrected. "They happened to your father. Please stop worrying about me alright? Can you at least trust in my abilities enough to let me go to sleep?"

He eyed me. "My worries have nothing to do with your abilities, Ophie. I guess...I guess I just want to protect you, you know? Kind of like my dad. We're just looking out for you. I don't want you hiding your fears from me."

"Are you two still going on about this?"

Mr. Weasley came around the corner with his arms crossed and brows raised.

"Uncle Ron—"

"Ophelia is right, James. Don't let your father fool you. We've almost got our man. No one is going to get hurt anytime soon. He's just making it a little more dramatic than it needs to be since you're all heading off to Hogwarts where you'll be out of his reach. He loves you guys and just wants to make sure you're safe. Don't let his fatherly fears get to you."

I looked at James victoriously before heading into my room to doze off.

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The next morning the house was abuzz with activity. Everyone was packing to head out in the morning for the train. I spent most of the day in my bedroom, reading one of the books Hermione recommended. She thought it would be hilarious as it was a fictional story written by wizards about muggles.

She was right.

I didn't know what was funnier, the fact that the main character was named Betty Borington or the fact that she was extremely daft and incapable. It seemed as if the author really thought that muggles lived like this. To be honest, it was too comical for me to be offended.

"Hey Ophelia?"

I glanced up at Rose who had peeked her head in the door. "Yeah Rose?"

"You're smart, right?"

"Well I guess so," I said setting down my book and gesturing for her to come over and sit down next to me. "Why? What do you need?"

"I was hoping to get a little help in a few of my subjects if you don't mind?"

I eyed her. "You need help with a class?"

"Erm, yes," she mumbled clasping her hands in her lap. "I-I just don't want my mother to find out that I'm falling behind in my Muggle Studies—"

"Muggle Studies? Rose your mother is a muggle born!"

"Which is why I don't want her to find out," she insisted. "Please, just don't tell anyone, okay? I just really need your help."

"Alright," I said uneasily.

"When do I start?"

I picked up my book and shrugged. "Well, I generally start tutoring before the term begins so that my students can get a head start. But I really do need to spend some time with the people that really need me first, so you and I can start after the term begins. Is that alright?"

She nodded her head slowly. "And how do these sessions work?"

"Well, depending on how much help a student needs we'll schedule some tutoring sessions throughout the month. I have one student who I meet with three times a week. Then every other week we all meet up in the library for a group session."

"Okay."

"Are you good with that?"

"Of course I am."

I watched her fidget around before she got up to leave. "Please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want them to find out."

_I nodded a little at her. "I promise I won't tell."_

* * *

_A/N: Enjoy._

_~ Rett_


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Taking Back Hogwarts

Summary: Ophelia Rosencourt is just your average looking muggle born witch. Except for the part where she's friends with the world-renowned Potter family. It's this extraordinary friendship that leads to her involvement in a battle between the two biggest drama queens in school: James Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. No ones getting out of this one embarrassment-free.

Rating: T

Chapter Five

"Ugh," James groaned rubbing his cheek. He dropped down next to me in the compartment. "I can't even sneak onto the train."

"Your mother was a Quidditch player and is now a reporter. You couldn't sneak anything by her even if you tried. And you've still got lipstick on your cheek."

"Get it off," he snarled.

I laughed and took my sweater sleeve to his face. When Al, Lily, and Rose came in they started laughing at him. "Mum got you again?"

"Shut up."

Al snorted. "Better hope no one sees that lipstick stain. They might realize you're a mama's boy."

"I'm not a mama's boy," James growled. He turned to me with squinty eyes. "I thought you got it all off!"

I couldn't help but laugh along with Al. "I did!" James glared at me. "There's just a big pink stain mark on your cheek!"

"Okay, okay!" Rose called out waving her arms before James pounced on Al and I. "Shall we get the changing over with now or wait a little while?"

"Might as well get it over with," Lily shrugged.

"Alright, alright, you girls go first," Al said nudging his brother and heading out to stand guard at the door.

We got out our robes and changed into them. Every time the boys complained that we took way too long. This time we took as much time as we needed, just to irritate them.

"So Lily," I said eyeing her. "Tell me about that boy you've been writing to all summer."

Her cheeks flushed and she looked at me with big eyes. "How'd you know about that?"

"James told me."

"Of course he did that arrogant git," she muttered to herself. She sighed and ran her fingers through her red hair. "His name is Mason and he's a fourth year. We were in Defense Against the Dark Arts together. He's a Hufflepuff."

"Ohhh! He's a year older than you, huh?" Rose said with a giggle.

She rolled her eyes a little. "Come on guys, we're just friends. It's not like we're dating or anything."

"Not dating yet," I said to Rose.

"Oh yes," she said with a firm nod of her head. "But on the verge of, wouldn't you say?"

"I bet they'll be snogging by Christmas."

Rose and I laughed a little and poked Lily. She swatted our hands away but we could see her smiling a little to herself as she tied her tie and stuffed it into her sweater vest. I pulled my arms through my sweater and rolled back the sleeves a little bit. Rose scoffed and insisted on fixing my collar for me while I fastened my tie.

"Hey, did you hear that?" Rose asked, gesturing towards the door. Lily and I fell silent and listened.

_"Nobody asked you, you prick!"_

_"I didn't know I had to be asked in order to have an opinion."_

_"Why don't you just go pretend to be cool somewhere else?"_

_"I'm not pretending."_

We all looked at each other and hurried to fix up our clothes before I threw open the door to see James holding out his wand with Al standing between him and someone else. A crowd had gathered.

"James what are you doing?" I asked pushing him aside. I shouldn't have been surprised to see who he felt so threatened by. "Scorpius what are you doing here?"

"I do go to Hogwarts too," he grumbled as he slid his wand back into the pocket of his jeans and relaxed a bit.

"That's...that's not what I meant," I said a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, you prick," James snarled. "What do you want anyway?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I needed Your Majesty's permission to talk to someone," Scorpius smirked.

He glared down at James before turning back to me. His eyebrows raised a little and I sighed. "James if you'll just excuse me—"

"Where are you going?" he asked furiously. "Are you going with him? A Malfoy?"

"Do we really have to go through this every year?"

"Well if you keep hanging around the shady bastard, yes, yes we do!"

Al pushed him back into the compartment. "Shut up, James. She's a big girl."

James snarled at him. "She's a traitor that's what she is."

Every time he said that it sent a jolt through me. To know that he could ever even call me a traitor was baffling, just for hanging around someone he had deemed unworthy of my friendship before he had consulted me or even given him a chance. But I just rolled my eyes at him and kept quiet as I followed Scorpius to an empty compartment.

He closed the door behind me. "You know, you are probably the most smug person I have ever met. And I'm friends with James Potter," I said crossing my arms.

He grinned a little and said, "I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" I asked sitting down.

"For helping me," he shrugged as he took a seat next to me. "I passed my Muggle Studies class."

"That's great Scorpius!" I said nudging his shoulder.

He frowned a little bit. "I'll still need your help."

"Right, you mentioned that in your letter. I suppose we can just keep the same tutoring schedule for now. We can figure it out after we get our classes though. If your parents want you to get perfect grades this year we're going to have to work for it, but I know you'll be able to do it. Aside from Muggle Studies is there any other classes you'll need help with?" He shrugged a little. "Hmm, alright I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Anyway, did you write your essay?"

"Yeah," he muttered rubbing the back of his neck. "But I'm not sure how good it is."

"Well we can take a look at it tonight in the common room."

"Thanks," he sighed leaning his head back on the seat. He looked down at me. "But are you sure you want to do that, Ophelia?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged a little bit. "It'll be late by the time we get back."

"That's fine," I said rubbing my hands together. "Unless you'd rather do it another time. I just don't want you to start off the term with a bad grade or anything."

"We can look at it during breakfast if you're really insistent on it. I just don't want you to feel obligated to me. You've got your own things to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am," he said. "You worry too much about other people, you know that?"

I rolled my eyes a little. "I'm still trying to figure out if it makes me a good person or it's just my fatal flaw."

"You're a good person," he nodded. "You just need to think of yourself sometimes."

There was a knock at the door. Scorpius leaned forward and pulled it open. "Anything from the trolley?"

"Yeah. A licorice wand and a chocolate frog," he said as he dug in his pocket for money.

She handed him his sweets and then turned to me with a smile. "Anything for you dear?"

"No thank you," I said smiling flatly. My pockets weren't full enough to waste anything on sweets. When she left Scorpius handed me the chocolate frog and leaned back in the seat. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"But I did anyway."

"Hmm," I murmured flipping the box in my hands.

"Come on," he said sitting up. "Let's see what you've got."

I opened up the box and the chocolate frog came bursting out. Scorpius snatched it out of the air before it could hop away. He raised his eyebrows and gestured for me to look at the card. I flipped it over. "Oooh, Morgan Le Fey! I've never seen one of these before. She's really pretty."

"Don't lose that," he said nodding a little. He handed over the chocolate frog for me to eat and began to tear into the licorice wand. "Those are pretty rare."

We sat in silence for a long while. He had brought out something to work on while I leaned against the window to watch the scenery. After a while, Al came to collect me.

"Hey Ophie," he said poking his head in. Scorpius ignored him and continued to read. "James was wondering when you were coming back."

I rolled my eyes a little. "Tell that prat that I'll be back when I'm good and ready."

"He didn't mean what he said about you being a traitor, you know? That's just him being a drama queen."

"He never means it," I muttered turning back towards the window. Al sighed and left. Scorpius glanced up from his book at me. "I should probably go before he comes over here himself to try and start something."

"Let him come," he said gruffly.

I smiled at Scorpius. "The two of you don't need detentions before the term even starts. Save me a seat for the feast will you?"

He nodded his head and turned back to his book.

"Oh and Scorpius?" He looked up at me, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Congratulations on becoming the new Quidditch captain."

* * *

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* * *

"I can't believe you hang around that kid," James scoffed.

I glared at him. "You know I can't believe I hang around you." He made a face and looked away. "Have you actually ever given Scorpius a chance? Because if you had, maybe you'd find out that he _isn't his father_ and—oh right!—_you're not yours_!"

James crossed his arms and glanced out the carriage. He had scared off Al just so we could have this argument alone on our way to the castle. "Look, that doesn't change the fact that he's a pompous prick."

"So are you!"

"Well at least I'm not a jerk!" he cried desperately. "Really, Ophelia...have you ever actually watched that guy? He doesn't talk to anybody, he doesn't respond to you unless he deems you worthy, he sits around reading all day like he's some sort of genius... I mean, how can you possibly stand him?"

They both were pompous gits and I wasn't about to deny that. "I know he's a jerk James and I'm not about to defend him on that. But he's not a bad guy, okay? You don't have to agree with me and I'm not asking you to hang around when I'm tutoring him. Just stop acting like you have to protect me from him, alright?"

"Fine," he grumbled crossing his arms. "But I still don't like him."

"You are _such_ a baby."

* * *

_A/N: This one was pretty fun for me. It was a challenge trying to keep Scorpius and James in character especially since Scorpius is new. But I'll be excited to add a little more depth to his character as I go along because I have plans for him! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, leave any suggestions or ideas you might have on how I can improve in a review!_

_~ Rett_


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Taking Back Hogwarts

Summary: Ophelia Rosencourt is just your average looking muggle born witch. Except for the part where she's friends with the world-renowned Potter family. It's this extraordinary friendship that leads to her involvement in a battle between the two biggest drama queens in school: James Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. No ones getting out of this one embarrassment-free.

Rating: T

Chapter Six

"Hey Ophelia."

I looked over to see Al in the doorway. "Al what are you doing here?"

"James asked me to come and get you," he said strolling into the common room. "He wanted to know if you'd like to go out flying at the Quidditch Pitch. Now that he's a captain he's got a few more privileges."

It was pretty late out and I had hoped to get settled in upstairs. But that idea was pretty tempting all in its own. "Yeah. Are you going to?"

"Nahh, McGonagall wanted to see me about something," he shrugged. "But he's out there waiting for you now."

"Alright. I'll head out."

Al disappeared out the door and I hurried up the stairs to get my broom. James told me to keep it with me in my room because he didn't want anyone to steal it or for it to get damaged out in the shed. I had agreed wholeheartedly and stashed it in a case underneath my bed. Most of the girls were still up and they greeted me and questioned where I was going. We were all on friendly terms (which I was thankful for) so I shared my plans with them before heading out.

For the most part the corridors were empty. It put me at ease. I wasn't necessarily sure if we were breaking any rules at this point. The fact that he was the Gryffindor Quidditch captain didn't really seem to stand out too much as a deterrent for detention, but I trusted him enough to sneak out to the pitch to fly around even if it was against the rules.

It was cold outside and I was still wearing my uniform. Luckily I had put on shorts underneath or riding this broom would prove very difficult.

James was waiting at the entrance to the pitch. "Hey Ophie! I'm glad you came."

"Why wouldn't I? A chance to beat you in another race across the pitch is one that I just couldn't pass up even if I wanted to."

In the pitch, there were several floating orbs of light in place so that we could at least see a little bit.

He laughed. "We'll race, we'll race. But then there's something I want to try." In the middle of the field I noticed a box bouncing around. I eyed James suspiciously but he just smiled at me and mounted his broom, shooting up into the air and heading towards the starting point of our race. We raced from one goal post to the opposite one. I glanced at the box one more time before I followed him up.

Being on a broom felt so natural to me. Flying felt so natural to me. It was still so odd to me seeing as it was always taught that humans were never meant to fly, and the closest we'd ever get to such a sensation would be to jump out of a plane and plummet to the earth. And yet, there I was hovering in the sky on nothing but a broom. It was so freeing to be up there where no one could touch me. It was one of the only places where I truly felt comfortable in my abilities. I was a better flyer than James and he was the best Quidditch player in the Potter family! That meant something, I know it.

James flexed his shoulders and then eyed the goal posts. "Three!...Two!...One!...Go!"

I soared through the air, feeling the wind kiss at my cheeks. The sound of it breaking and cracking as I sliced through it was the most empowering thing. As the goal posts reared their heads at my I made a sharp turn and cut around them, throwing my hands into the air and shouting at the top of my lungs. This was the most fun I'd had in a really long time.

James came up behind me smiling, even though I had defeated him once again. I flew in circles around him with my arms up in a victory run. We laughed together.

"You've beat me," he sighed dipping underneath me and then pulling up to my side. "Now will you humor me with a little game?"

"What kind of game?"

"A game I like to call 'Can Ophelia catch the snitch and potentially become the greatest Seeker the Ravenclaw Quidditch team has ever known?'"

My face drained of all color and my stomach knotted. "Um, I don't think I really want to—"

"Come on," he called. He had already begun his descent towards the ground.

"James I don't want to," I said when I touched the ground next to him. "I don't want to play Quidditch."

"Oh come on. You love flying Ophie. You love playing with us at home! And I know you hold yourself back there. Even if you are just a clumsy chaser...I know you'd be an amazing seeker. You're too fast for me to pass this chance up."

I gnawed on my lip. "Look I'll catch the snitch here but I'm not going to try out for Quidditch."

He smiled. "You'll come around when you see that you can do it." He jogged over to the box that was jumping around and opened it up. "Get ready. It's pretty dark out so keep your eye on the snitch. Since there's no one around to distract you I figured I'd challenge you in a different way."

I mounted my broom nervously and kicked into the air a little bit. James pulled out the little golden ball and nodded at me. I took in a deep breath and gripped the broom tightly. He let go of the snitch and it jumped into the air, flitting this way and that before flying right up to my face. I stared at it as it buzzed around in front of me. It was as if it was judging me, watching me, teasing me. I decided then that I would catch it, even if it meant that James would hound me about joining the team.

It took off into the air and I followed after it.

There had never been anything that I had trouble catching while I was on a broom. I beat James in every race and Mr. Potter had trouble keeping up with me too. With this new broom it should have been easier than it was. But there was something about that snitch that made it faster than me and it made me angry. It made me feel inferior and I hated that feeling so much.

I pushed that broom and I pushed myself. That snitch would not get away from me. Not even in the dark. I would catch it no matter what. I would catch it and I would be proud of myself again. So I followed it wherever it went. For a while I just waited and studied it, trying to make out its pattern. But soon it became clear that there was no pattern and I was wasting my time trying to analyze it. So instead I just went with my instincts, something I was only capable of on a broom. I swung around, lurched forward, flew one-handed, rolled in the air until finally—finally!—I was able to grab hold of it in my hand and take back my pride and faith in myself.

"Hey James I got it..." When I turned to look at him I realized that I was nowhere near the pitch anymore. In fact, it seemed that I was hovering right over the Forbidden Forest. I sighed and looked down at the snitch in my hands. "You made me do this, you know?"

"Hey, Ophelia? Did you get it?"

I glanced over to see James near the edge of the forest waving at me. I flew over to him and held out the snitch for him to see. "Yeah I did."

"You scared me a little," he said smiling and rubbing the back of his neck. "You shot off right out of the pitch and for a little while I couldn't find you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Let's get out of here okay? It's getting pretty late."

"Alright."

We headed back to the pitch and packed everything up. James put the equipment back and then lead the way back to the castle. "You know, that was pretty good," he said when we made it to the stairs to my common room. "You'd make an amazing addition to the team, you know?"

"I'm not trying out, James. Besides, you're the captain for an opposing team. Why do you want me to play so bad if you insist that I'm so good?"

"Because I'm your friend first," he shrugged. "And I think you're wasting your potential just watching the games when you'd make them so much more interesting playing them. Besides, I like a challenge and raising a team to beat you is definitely that."

I couldn't help but smile a little as I headed up. "You won't have to worry about me. I'm content in the stands."

* * *

_A/N: Well hello there. Sorry for the delay but I've been a tad busy. Anyway, here's the next chapter._

_~ Rett_


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